WWE.s John Cena is heating up DVD and Blu-ray with the release of the action/drama The Reunion on November 8th! In the film, Cena is joined by Ethan Embry, Michael Rispoli, Boyd Holbrook and Amy Smart. It was directed and written by Michael Pavone.Synopsis: The Cleary brothers, Sam (Cena), Leo (Embry) and Douglas (Holbrook) take dysfunctional families to a new level: Sam and Leo have grown up hating each other and neither likes their juvenile delinquent kid brother, Douglas, to whom they.ve only recently been introduced. The sons share the same father, a womanizing drunk, but all have different mothers. Their father died a rich man and when they.re brought together by their sister Nina (Smart) to learn which of...
- 11/2/2011
- by Patrick Luce
- Monsters and Critics
Reviewer: James van Maanen
Rating (out of five): ****
Comparing a movie to an after-school special generally means something derogatory. Not in this case. Not at all. For writer/-director Michael Pavone has given us a coming-of-age, junior-high-school story that's rare in lots of ways. It's the first really good film -- one for which no excuses need be made -- from the WWE (yes, the company formerly known as The World Wide Wrestling Federation). It has a cast -- Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Molly Parker plus a group of remarkably gifted unknowns and even a WWE superstar (Randy Orton) who proves quite a good actor -- of which any movie would be proud to boast; and best of all, it handles coming-of-age and all the complexities of the adult and teenage worlds with remarkable depth, understanding, generosity and tact. In short, it's an important film that will undoubtedly -- due to its provenance (particularly,...
Rating (out of five): ****
Comparing a movie to an after-school special generally means something derogatory. Not in this case. Not at all. For writer/-director Michael Pavone has given us a coming-of-age, junior-high-school story that's rare in lots of ways. It's the first really good film -- one for which no excuses need be made -- from the WWE (yes, the company formerly known as The World Wide Wrestling Federation). It has a cast -- Ed Harris, Amy Madigan, Molly Parker plus a group of remarkably gifted unknowns and even a WWE superstar (Randy Orton) who proves quite a good actor -- of which any movie would be proud to boast; and best of all, it handles coming-of-age and all the complexities of the adult and teenage worlds with remarkable depth, understanding, generosity and tact. In short, it's an important film that will undoubtedly -- due to its provenance (particularly,...
- 8/16/2011
- by weezy
- GreenCine
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
As adolescence is such a struggle to establish one’s own identity, with not every refugee of puberty finishing the job, it’s hardly surprising that the right to pigeon hole one’s self, rejecting the reductive, caricaturing tendency of others who are only too happy to take the initiative on your behalf, is a recurring theme in teen movies.
We’ve enjoyed a thousand and one school dramas, whose treatment of teen angst has varied from the condescending, to the understanding, to the cruel, with the determining factor being whether the writers of each were loners, bullied or bullies, no doubt; but seldom seen, outside the confines of American television, is the twee version. That gap has now been filled.
Michael Pavone’s heavy-handed life lessons drama, owes much, and by much I mean everything, to the 80′s series, The Wonder Years. When discussing the depth of the tribute,...
As adolescence is such a struggle to establish one’s own identity, with not every refugee of puberty finishing the job, it’s hardly surprising that the right to pigeon hole one’s self, rejecting the reductive, caricaturing tendency of others who are only too happy to take the initiative on your behalf, is a recurring theme in teen movies.
We’ve enjoyed a thousand and one school dramas, whose treatment of teen angst has varied from the condescending, to the understanding, to the cruel, with the determining factor being whether the writers of each were loners, bullied or bullies, no doubt; but seldom seen, outside the confines of American television, is the twee version. That gap has now been filled.
Michael Pavone’s heavy-handed life lessons drama, owes much, and by much I mean everything, to the 80′s series, The Wonder Years. When discussing the depth of the tribute,...
- 7/12/2011
- by Ed Whitfield
- Obsessed with Film
That’S What I Am
Stars: Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck, Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton | Written and Directed by Mike Pavone
Set in the 60’s, a time when a social revolution was beginning to change the mind sets of society, comes a feel good story about an inspirational teacher, Mr Simon (Ed Harris – The Truman Show, Apollo 13, Nixon, The Way Back) who instils in his pupils, a new way of thinking that will change their lives forever.
One kid, whose outlook on life takes on a whole new meaning, is 12 year old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison – Tooth Fairy). A bright student, Andy is put to the test when his English teacher Mr. Simon pairs him up on a project with the school’s biggest outcast, Stanley, also affectionately known as Big G because of his large frame, facial features and ginger hair.
Stars: Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck, Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton | Written and Directed by Mike Pavone
Set in the 60’s, a time when a social revolution was beginning to change the mind sets of society, comes a feel good story about an inspirational teacher, Mr Simon (Ed Harris – The Truman Show, Apollo 13, Nixon, The Way Back) who instils in his pupils, a new way of thinking that will change their lives forever.
One kid, whose outlook on life takes on a whole new meaning, is 12 year old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison – Tooth Fairy). A bright student, Andy is put to the test when his English teacher Mr. Simon pairs him up on a project with the school’s biggest outcast, Stanley, also affectionately known as Big G because of his large frame, facial features and ginger hair.
- 7/10/2011
- by Phil
- Nerdly
A film produced by WWE that's got nothing to do with wrestling, That's What I Am stars Ed Harris. But is it any good?
Newsflash: bullying is wrong, and the 1960s were a time of rosy-tinted wonder. If either of these seem revelatory, then That's What I Am may be for you. If not, don't bother.
Written and directed by Michael Pavone and produced by the WWE Studios production company, That's What I Am isn't a wrestling spectacle. Instead, it's a dumb, blithely simple drama that is all moral and no content.
Andy (Chase Ellison) is a kid on the verge of teenhood who is assigned a collaborative piece of schoolwork with Big G (Alexander Walters), a loner who happens to be tall, supposedly ugly, and, horror of horrors, ginger. At first, Andy is anxious, as every social capital-conscious boy in an American school movie is, to be paired with such an unpopular classmate,...
Newsflash: bullying is wrong, and the 1960s were a time of rosy-tinted wonder. If either of these seem revelatory, then That's What I Am may be for you. If not, don't bother.
Written and directed by Michael Pavone and produced by the WWE Studios production company, That's What I Am isn't a wrestling spectacle. Instead, it's a dumb, blithely simple drama that is all moral and no content.
Andy (Chase Ellison) is a kid on the verge of teenhood who is assigned a collaborative piece of schoolwork with Big G (Alexander Walters), a loner who happens to be tall, supposedly ugly, and, horror of horrors, ginger. At first, Andy is anxious, as every social capital-conscious boy in an American school movie is, to be paired with such an unpopular classmate,...
- 5/20/2011
- Den of Geek
Reviewed by Khia Beauchesne
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Michael Pavone
Starring: Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck and Randy Orton
When a film starts off with a quote on a blank screen, usually it’s intriguing. With “That’s What I Am,” this is almost the case. The first thing viewers see is simple text on a black screen stating, “It has often been said that children are cruel.” What ruins it? The narrator reads it for you and starts his almost ceaseless monologue, giving no time for the audience to dwell on this introductory quote and determine its significance.
Set in the 1960s, “That’s What I Am,” depicts many societal obstacles while keeping an air of innocence, using the story of an eighth-grade boy as the main context. As narrator, Andy Nichol (played as a youth by Chase Ellison) reflects on his life in junior high...
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Michael Pavone
Starring: Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck and Randy Orton
When a film starts off with a quote on a blank screen, usually it’s intriguing. With “That’s What I Am,” this is almost the case. The first thing viewers see is simple text on a black screen stating, “It has often been said that children are cruel.” What ruins it? The narrator reads it for you and starts his almost ceaseless monologue, giving no time for the audience to dwell on this introductory quote and determine its significance.
Set in the 1960s, “That’s What I Am,” depicts many societal obstacles while keeping an air of innocence, using the story of an eighth-grade boy as the main context. As narrator, Andy Nichol (played as a youth by Chase Ellison) reflects on his life in junior high...
- 4/28/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Reviewed by Khia Beauchesne
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Michael Pavone
Starring: Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck and Randy Orton
When a film starts off with a quote on a blank screen, usually it’s intriguing. With “That’s What I Am,” this is almost the case. The first thing viewers see is simple text on a black screen stating, “It has often been said that children are cruel.” What ruins it? The narrator reads it for you and starts his almost ceaseless monologue, giving no time for the audience to dwell on this introductory quote and determine its significance.
Set in the 1960s, “That’s What I Am,” depicts many societal obstacles while keeping an air of innocence, using the story of an eighth-grade boy as the main context. As narrator, Andy Nichol (played as a youth by Chase Ellison) reflects on his life in junior high...
(April 2011)
Directed/Written by: Michael Pavone
Starring: Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck and Randy Orton
When a film starts off with a quote on a blank screen, usually it’s intriguing. With “That’s What I Am,” this is almost the case. The first thing viewers see is simple text on a black screen stating, “It has often been said that children are cruel.” What ruins it? The narrator reads it for you and starts his almost ceaseless monologue, giving no time for the audience to dwell on this introductory quote and determine its significance.
Set in the 1960s, “That’s What I Am,” depicts many societal obstacles while keeping an air of innocence, using the story of an eighth-grade boy as the main context. As narrator, Andy Nichol (played as a youth by Chase Ellison) reflects on his life in junior high...
- 4/28/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Title: That’s What I Am Director: Mike Pavone Starring: Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck, Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton, Amy Madigan The fact that actual personal experience informs a movie’s narrative flavor doesn’t, of course, guarantee its quality in any way, shape or form — a fact reaffirmed by writer-director Mike Pavone’s “That’s What I Am”, an awkward mish-mash of observational coming-of-age cliches and half-baked moralizing that feels like a bloated, not particularly well sketched episode of “The Wonder Years”. Set in California during the 1960s, the film centers on 12-year-old Andy (Chase Ellison), a bright but small eighth-grade kid whose favorite teacher, Mr. Simon...
- 4/28/2011
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
Check out the new trailer and clip for That's What I Am, starring Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker and Daniel Roebuck. That's What I am is a comedy directed and written by Michael Pavone, writer of Anthony Lapaglia and Kevin Pollak starrer Chameleon, who's mostly known for TV credits including The Client, High Incident and Prison Break. Also in the cast are Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton and Amy Madigan. Set in California against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, That’s What I Am is a coming-of-age story that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers...
- 4/27/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the new trailer and clip for That's What I Am, starring Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker and Daniel Roebuck. That's What I am is a comedy directed and written by Michael Pavone, writer of Anthony Lapaglia and Kevin Pollak starrer Chameleon, who's mostly known for TV credits including The Client, High Incident and Prison Break. Also in the cast are Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton and Amy Madigan. Set in California against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, That’s What I Am is a coming-of-age story that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers...
- 4/27/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the new trailer and clip for That's What I Am, starring Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker and Daniel Roebuck. That's What I am is a comedy directed and written by Michael Pavone, writer of Anthony Lapaglia and Kevin Pollak starrer Chameleon, who's mostly known for TV credits including The Client, High Incident and Prison Break. Also in the cast are Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton and Amy Madigan. Set in California against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, That’s What I Am is a coming-of-age story that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers...
- 4/27/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Check out the new trailer and clip for That's What I Am, starring Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker and Daniel Roebuck. That's What I am is a comedy directed and written by Michael Pavone, writer of Anthony Lapaglia and Kevin Pollak starrer Chameleon, who's mostly known for TV credits including The Client, High Incident and Prison Break. Also in the cast are Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton and Amy Madigan. Set in California against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, That’s What I Am is a coming-of-age story that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers...
- 4/27/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
ComingSoon.net has your exclusive first look at a new clip from That's What I Am , opening in limited theaters on April 29th. Written and directed by Michael Pavone, the drama stars Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck, Randy Orton, Daniel Yelsky, Alexander Walters, Mia Rose Frampton and Amy Madigan. Set in California against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, the film is a coming-of-age story that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Ellison), a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers. Everyone's favorite teacher, Mr. Simon (Harris), pairs Andy with the school's biggest outcast and social pariah, Stanley aka "Big G" (Walters),...
- 4/20/2011
- Comingsoon.net
Eric McCormack has been cast in the the upcoming supernatural thriller Barricade from WWE Studios. This casting will be the first time the company is making a picture that doesn’t star one of its macho WWE stars.
Barricade is being directed by Andrew Currie (Fido), which will shoot in and around Vancouver later this month. The script was written by Michaelbrent Collings and centers on "a psychiatrist, seeking to find normalcy after the sudden passing of his wife, who takes his two kids to a remote cabin for healing and bonding. Their joy soon turns to despair when the family is terrorized by unknown forces and the father will stop at nothing to save them from peril."
Conner Dwelly and Ryan Grantham are in talks to star as the two kids in the film being financed by WWE Studios. WWE's Michael Pavone, David Calloway, andLori Lewis are the producers.
Barricade is being directed by Andrew Currie (Fido), which will shoot in and around Vancouver later this month. The script was written by Michaelbrent Collings and centers on "a psychiatrist, seeking to find normalcy after the sudden passing of his wife, who takes his two kids to a remote cabin for healing and bonding. Their joy soon turns to despair when the family is terrorized by unknown forces and the father will stop at nothing to save them from peril."
Conner Dwelly and Ryan Grantham are in talks to star as the two kids in the film being financed by WWE Studios. WWE's Michael Pavone, David Calloway, andLori Lewis are the producers.
- 3/10/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
WWE Studios has been producing a steady stream of big, dumb action schlock since ’02, their only real winner being Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s starring vehicle, The Rundown. To be fair, they co-produced to Universal’s Strike Entertainment; I imagine someone had the good sense to lock Vince McMahon in a closet during the lion’s share of that film. The wrestling organization’s studio wing has in recent years been playing it up to the PG-13 crowd to cast a wider demographic net, and thus their film library has seen some variation from wooden wrestlers blowing shit up and punching faces. Basically, WWE Studios wants you to know they have a heart– and so we get That’s What I Am, television writer/director Michael Pavone’s big screen feature debut. That’s What I Am is the story of Andy Nichol (Chase Ellison), a middle of the road student in his last year of junior...
- 2/22/2011
- by Dustin Hucks
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced a 2011 lineup that includes the U.S. premiere of the Kristin Scott Thomas film "Sarah's Key," a closing night presentation of the opera film "Carmen in 3D," and a gala world premiere of Mike Pavone's "That's What I Am," a drama starring Ed Harris, Chase Ellison and Molly Parker. Sbiff, which begins on January 27, also announced tributes to actors John Hawkes, Lesley Manville, Hailee Steinfeld and Jacki Weaver, and a special screening of "Toy Story 3" for 4,000 students. The lineup includes 30...
- 1/6/2011
- The Wrap
With director Omar Naim’s supernaturally-tinged Dead Awake opening in limited release this Friday, December 3 (the flick is set to hit DVD/Blu-ray on March 29 of next year), this writer caught up today with one of the film’s principals, actress Amy Smart, who dished on the movie as well as the possibility of a third film in the Crank series and her potential inclusion in a future horror project.
Known best as a comedic actress for her turns in the films Just Friends and Road Trip (among others) and to genre fans for her roles in The Butterfly Effect and Mirrors (as well the gonzo action flicks Crank and Crank: High Voltage, in which she portrayed the girlfriend of actor Jason Statham’s adrenalized hit-man ‘Chev Chelios’), Smart appears in Dead Awake as ‘Natalie’, the long-lost love of young funeral parlor employee ‘Dylan’ (actor Nick Stahl), a young man...
Known best as a comedic actress for her turns in the films Just Friends and Road Trip (among others) and to genre fans for her roles in The Butterfly Effect and Mirrors (as well the gonzo action flicks Crank and Crank: High Voltage, in which she portrayed the girlfriend of actor Jason Statham’s adrenalized hit-man ‘Chev Chelios’), Smart appears in Dead Awake as ‘Natalie’, the long-lost love of young funeral parlor employee ‘Dylan’ (actor Nick Stahl), a young man...
- 11/30/2010
- by SeanD.
- DreadCentral.com
We have new clips in standard and high definition for Samuel Goldwyn Films' Knucklehead comedy/drama which opens on October 22nd in limited areas. Michael W. Watkins directs from the writing by Bear Aderhold, Tom Sullivan and Adam Rifkin. The film is rated PG-13 and produced by Michael Pavone. The story follows con artist Eddie Sullivan (Mark Feuerstein), who, after incurring a large debt with a local bookie (Dennis Farina), creates a get-rich-quick scheme by enlisting a sweet gentle giant named Walter (Paul “The Big Show” Wight) as his unwitting accomplice. Walter’s orphanage—the only home he’s ever known—also needs funds desperately. Upon overhearing Walter’s predicament, Eddie convinces the no-nonsense head nun, Sister Francesca (Wendie Malick), that Walter can win the money as a fighter and pay off the church’s debts...
- 10/7/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
WWE Studios has begun production on Bending the Rules, a drama that allows Jamie Kennedy to go mano a mano with WWE ring star Adam "Edge" Copeland. Kennedy plays a district attorney who's trying to bring down a rogue New Orleans police detective (Copeland) on corruption charges. One the day the Da loses his case, his prized possession, a 1956 Studebaker Goldenhawk gets swiped and complications ensue as the lawyer tries to get his car back. Jessica Walter, Jennifer Esposito, Alicia Witt and Phillip Baker Hall round out the cast. Saving Grace exec producer Artie Mandelberg directs a script by Dylan Schaffer. This is the latest in a series of eight films that Vince McMahon's WWE is financing and shooting in quick succession. The film program is being supervised by producer and WWE Studios exec veep Michael Pavone and the slate culminates in WWE's first wrestling-related storyline: a biopic of Gorgeous George,...
- 8/24/2010
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
WWE Studios announced today that actors Kevin Corrigan ( American Gangster ), Ariel Winter ("Modern Family") and Annabeth Gish ("The West Wing") have joined WWE® Superstar Paul "Triple H" Levesque ( Blade: Trinity ) in the cast of the studios' upcoming comedy, The Chaperone . Stephen Herek will direct the film from a screenplay by playwright S.J. Roth. The Chaperone is produced by WWE Studios Executive Vice President Michael Pavone and executive produced by WWE Studios Vice President David Calloway. In the film, Ray Bradstone (Triple H) is the best "wheel man in the business," but he is determined to go straight and be the best parent he can be to his daughter, Sally (Winter), and make amends with his ex-wife, Lynne (Gish). As Ray...
- 6/8/2010
- Comingsoon.net
WWE Studios have announced the leading role debut of one of the biggest names in the WWE, Triple H. The wrestler, real name Paul Levesque, will join Kevin Corrigan, Ariel Winter and Annabeth Gish (one of my all-time favourite actresses), in the upcoming comedy, The Chaperone.
Triple H will play ex-con Ray Bradstone, a former getaway driver determined to turn his life around and establish a relationship with his estranged daughter Sally, in the film directed by Stephen Herek (Critters, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, The Mighty Ducks).
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m pretty interested to see The Chaperone. For one, Triple H can do comedy and action – we’ve seen that in the WWE; two it also stars Annabeth Gish; and three, it’s directed by Stephen Herek – who has made some damn fine comedies over the years.
Triple H will play ex-con Ray Bradstone, a former getaway driver determined to turn his life around and establish a relationship with his estranged daughter Sally, in the film directed by Stephen Herek (Critters, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead, The Mighty Ducks).
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m pretty interested to see The Chaperone. For one, Triple H can do comedy and action – we’ve seen that in the WWE; two it also stars Annabeth Gish; and three, it’s directed by Stephen Herek – who has made some damn fine comedies over the years.
- 6/8/2010
- by Phil
- Nerdly
BC-born actress Molly Parker ("Deadwood") will next star in "Big Red", starting principal photography in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 23, 2010.
Cast also includes Ed Harris, Chase Ellison (“Tooth Fairy”), Daniel Roebuck (“Final Destination”), Mia Rose Frampton (“Make It or Break It”), Amy Madigan (“Carnivale”) and WWE wrestler Randy Orton.
"...Set against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, “Big Red” is a coming-of-age story following 12-year-old 'Andy Nichol' (Ellison), a bright student whose English teacher, 'Mr. Simon' (Harris), pairs him on a project with the school’s biggest outcast and social pariah, 'Stanley' aka 'Big Red'). When Andy watches Stanley fearlessly confront a school bully, a series of events is unleashed, which changes the lives of both young men – and their teacher – forever..."
WWE Studios Executive VP Mike Pavone will direct the drama from his original screenplay, produced by Denise Chamian. WWE Studios VP David Calloway is the executive...
Cast also includes Ed Harris, Chase Ellison (“Tooth Fairy”), Daniel Roebuck (“Final Destination”), Mia Rose Frampton (“Make It or Break It”), Amy Madigan (“Carnivale”) and WWE wrestler Randy Orton.
"...Set against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, “Big Red” is a coming-of-age story following 12-year-old 'Andy Nichol' (Ellison), a bright student whose English teacher, 'Mr. Simon' (Harris), pairs him on a project with the school’s biggest outcast and social pariah, 'Stanley' aka 'Big Red'). When Andy watches Stanley fearlessly confront a school bully, a series of events is unleashed, which changes the lives of both young men – and their teacher – forever..."
WWE Studios Executive VP Mike Pavone will direct the drama from his original screenplay, produced by Denise Chamian. WWE Studios VP David Calloway is the executive...
- 2/24/2010
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
BC-born actress Molly Parker (Deadwood) will next star in Big Red, starting principal photography in New Orleans, Louisiana, February 23, 2010. Cast also includes Ed Harris, Chase Ellison (Tooth Fairy), Daniel Roebuck (Final Destination), Mia Rose Frampton (Make It or Break It), Amy Madigan (Carnivale) and WWE wrestler Randy Orton. "...Set against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, .Big Red. is a coming-of-age story following 12-year-old 'Andy Nichol' (Ellison), a bright student whose English teacher, 'Mr. Simon' (Harris), pairs him on a project with the school.s biggest outcast and social pariah, 'Stanley' aka 'Big Red'). When Andy watches Stanley fearlessly confront a school bully, a series of events is unleashed, which changes the lives of both young men . and their teacher . forever..." WWE Studios Executive VP Mike Pavone will direct the drama from his original screenplay, produced by Denise Chamian. WWE Studios VP David Calloway is the executive...
- 2/24/2010
- HollywoodNorthReport.com
Ed Harris, Chase Ellison, Molly Parker, Daniel Roebuck, WWE Superstar Randy Orton, Mia Rose Frampton and Amy Madigan will star in WWE Studios executive president Mike Pavone's Big Red , which starts filming in New Orleans next week. Set against the backdrop of the mid-sixties, the film is a coming-of-age story which follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol (Ellison), a bright student whose English teacher, Mr. Simon (Harris), pairs him on a project with the school's biggest outcast and social pariah, Stanley (aka "Big Red"). When Andy watches Stanley fearlessly confront a school bully, a series of events is unleashed, which changes the lives of both young men . and their teacher . forever. Parker portrays Andy's mother, Sherri. Roebuck plays Andy's father, Jim. Orton portrays Ed...
- 2/19/2010
- Comingsoon.net
Real-life couple Ed Harris and Amy Madigan have joined the cast of the WWE family drama "Big Red" which Mike Pavone is directing reports Variety.
Set in the mid-1960s, the story follows a bright 12-year-old forced to pair up on a project with his school's biggest outcast ("Big Red").
When the outcast fearlessly confronts a school bully, events are set in motion that changes their lives forever.
Harris will play the English teacher who brings the two boys together while Madigan will play the school's principal. Randy Orton stars as the bully's father.
Chase Ellison, Daniel Roebuck, Molly Parker and Mia Rose Frampton also star. Filming kicks off in New Orleans next week.
Set in the mid-1960s, the story follows a bright 12-year-old forced to pair up on a project with his school's biggest outcast ("Big Red").
When the outcast fearlessly confronts a school bully, events are set in motion that changes their lives forever.
Harris will play the English teacher who brings the two boys together while Madigan will play the school's principal. Randy Orton stars as the bully's father.
Chase Ellison, Daniel Roebuck, Molly Parker and Mia Rose Frampton also star. Filming kicks off in New Orleans next week.
- 2/19/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
New York -- World Wrestling Entertainment is changing its film strategy, with WWE Studios announcing Tuesday that it will use its superstars to support Hollywood leads and self-distribute and market an upcoming slate of nine films with Samuel Goldwyn Films and Vivendi as distribution partners.
On past film releases, WWE worked with the likes of Fox and Lionsgate.
The sports entertainment powerhouse on Tuesday also pushed back the release of comedy "Knucklehead" to the fall.
Importantly, it said its upcoming films will feature well-known actors and actresses in lead roles supported by WWE superstars. In the past, the wrestlers generally took the lead.
In another strategic tweak, upcoming projects will feature a broader range of genres, including family-friendly comedies, dramas and thrillers. Past WWE films generally were in the action and horror genres.
WWE said it plans to produce and release nine films through 2012.
The new strategy was put in place by Mike Pavone,...
On past film releases, WWE worked with the likes of Fox and Lionsgate.
The sports entertainment powerhouse on Tuesday also pushed back the release of comedy "Knucklehead" to the fall.
Importantly, it said its upcoming films will feature well-known actors and actresses in lead roles supported by WWE superstars. In the past, the wrestlers generally took the lead.
In another strategic tweak, upcoming projects will feature a broader range of genres, including family-friendly comedies, dramas and thrillers. Past WWE films generally were in the action and horror genres.
WWE said it plans to produce and release nine films through 2012.
The new strategy was put in place by Mike Pavone,...
- 1/19/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Patricia Clarkson, Danny Glover, Devon Graye, Madeleine Martin, and WWE wrestling champ John Cena have joined the cast of WWE Studio’s upcoming film “Brother’s Keeper”. Mel Damski is directing from John Posey’s script about a young unathletic teenager who joins the local school wrestling team in order to reunite his mother and estranged older brother, a decade after the death of his father, a local college wrestling legend. WWE Studios vp David Calloway, the WWE Studios vice president, is producing the project, with WWE execs Mike Pavone and Steve Barnett onboard as executive producers for “Brother’s Keeper”. No release date has been set yet. Filming began today in New Orleans. Stay tuned to [...]...
- 12/9/2009
- by Costa Koutsoutis
- ShockYa
Patricia Clarkson, Devon Graye, Madeleine Martin, Danny Glover and wrestling champ John Cena have been cast in "Brother's Keeper," a PG-rated family drama from WWE Films.
Mel Damski ("Mischief") will direct a screenplay by John Posey about a teenage boy (Graye) who tries to reunite his mother (Clarkson) and estranged older brother (Cena) 10 years after the death of their father, a state college wrestling legend. A brilliant student with no apparent athletic talents, the teenager decides to join the high school wrestling team as a way to pull the family together.
WWE Studios vp David Calloway ("The O.C.") is producing. WWE execs Mike Pavone and Steve Barnett are executive producing.
The project, which might undergo a title change, begins shooting today in New Orleans.
The CAA-repped Clarkson had roles in the Woody Allen films "Whatever Works" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." She next appears in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island," which hits theaters in February.
Mel Damski ("Mischief") will direct a screenplay by John Posey about a teenage boy (Graye) who tries to reunite his mother (Clarkson) and estranged older brother (Cena) 10 years after the death of their father, a state college wrestling legend. A brilliant student with no apparent athletic talents, the teenager decides to join the high school wrestling team as a way to pull the family together.
WWE Studios vp David Calloway ("The O.C.") is producing. WWE execs Mike Pavone and Steve Barnett are executive producing.
The project, which might undergo a title change, begins shooting today in New Orleans.
The CAA-repped Clarkson had roles in the Woody Allen films "Whatever Works" and "Vicky Cristina Barcelona." She next appears in Martin Scorsese's "Shutter Island," which hits theaters in February.
- 12/7/2009
- by By Jay A. Fernandez and Nellie Andreeva
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
WWE Studios continue their spiral of lackluster potential films with their latest comedy/adventure attempt called Knucklehead. Just joining onto the casting list is Melora Hardin (17 Again), Mark Feuerstein (Defiance) and the WWE’s own Paul “The Big Show” Wright. Here’s the synopsis of the film from THR:
The film centers on a fight promoter (Feuerstein) deeply in debt to his crooked rival. Desperate for a new fighter that will help him win back everything he owes, the promoter catches a break when a 450-pound church handyman (Wight) who has spent his entire life in an orphanage agrees to wrestle on behalf of his fellow orphans. Hardin runs the orphanage with a nun (Wendie Malick). The trio embark on a road trip on their quest to enter him into a wrestling competition for the first time.
Mike Pavone is producing, previously doing work on Prison Break and Side Order of Life.
The film centers on a fight promoter (Feuerstein) deeply in debt to his crooked rival. Desperate for a new fighter that will help him win back everything he owes, the promoter catches a break when a 450-pound church handyman (Wight) who has spent his entire life in an orphanage agrees to wrestle on behalf of his fellow orphans. Hardin runs the orphanage with a nun (Wendie Malick). The trio embark on a road trip on their quest to enter him into a wrestling competition for the first time.
Mike Pavone is producing, previously doing work on Prison Break and Side Order of Life.
- 10/8/2009
- by Melissa Molina
- Atomic Popcorn
Melora Hardin, Mark Feuerstein and World Wrestling Entertainment star Paul "Big Show" Wight are starring in "Knucklehead," a comedy-adventure Michael Watkins is directing from WWE Studios.
The film centers on a fight promoter (Feuerstein) deeply in debt to his crooked rival. Desperate for a new fighter that will help him win back everything he owes, the promoter catches a break when a 450-pound church handyman (Wight) who has spent his entire life in an orphanage agrees to wrestle on behalf of his fellow orphans.
Hardin runs the orphanage with a nun (Wendie Malick). The trio embark on a road trip on their quest to enter him into a wrestling competition for the first time.
Additionally, Rebecca Creskoff (HBO's "Hung"), Dennis Farina and Saul Rubinek have booked supporting roles. Lester Speight ("Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay") and Bobb'e J. Thompson ("Role Models") round out the cast.
Mike Pavone is producing,...
The film centers on a fight promoter (Feuerstein) deeply in debt to his crooked rival. Desperate for a new fighter that will help him win back everything he owes, the promoter catches a break when a 450-pound church handyman (Wight) who has spent his entire life in an orphanage agrees to wrestle on behalf of his fellow orphans.
Hardin runs the orphanage with a nun (Wendie Malick). The trio embark on a road trip on their quest to enter him into a wrestling competition for the first time.
Additionally, Rebecca Creskoff (HBO's "Hung"), Dennis Farina and Saul Rubinek have booked supporting roles. Lester Speight ("Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay") and Bobb'e J. Thompson ("Role Models") round out the cast.
Mike Pavone is producing,...
- 10/7/2009
- by By Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- World Wrestling Entertainment has named Mike Pavone to the post of executive vp of WWE Studios.
He will lead WWE Studios' theatrical releases, direct-to-dvd movies, series and reality programming and report directly to WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
With more than 18 years of experience in the film and TV industry, Pavone has since 2008 worked as a strategic consultant to WWE's creative writing department, collaborating on the company's TV programs "Monday Night Raw" and "Friday Night SmackDown."
He has worked on such TV fare as "Prison Break," "Jack & Jill" and "Street Time," as well as film projects like "Northmen" and "Seven Men from Now."
"Mike brings a great combination of both filmed entertainment and television experience to his new role," said McMahon. "We are confident that he can expand the breadth and depth of opportunities for WWE Studios."...
He will lead WWE Studios' theatrical releases, direct-to-dvd movies, series and reality programming and report directly to WWE chairman Vince McMahon.
With more than 18 years of experience in the film and TV industry, Pavone has since 2008 worked as a strategic consultant to WWE's creative writing department, collaborating on the company's TV programs "Monday Night Raw" and "Friday Night SmackDown."
He has worked on such TV fare as "Prison Break," "Jack & Jill" and "Street Time," as well as film projects like "Northmen" and "Seven Men from Now."
"Mike brings a great combination of both filmed entertainment and television experience to his new role," said McMahon. "We are confident that he can expand the breadth and depth of opportunities for WWE Studios."...
- 6/15/2009
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gary Loder, partner and head of the Gersh Agency's TV lit department, has exited after five years at the agency.
Rob Golenberg and Jack Dytman are taking over as co-heards of the department that includes five other agents.
Loder joined Gersh in 2003 after 24 years at WMA.
His clients include such writer-producers as Ira Steven Behr (The 4400), Michael Pavone (Side Order of Life) and Lew Schneider (Everybody Loves Raymond).
It's unclear where Loder might be headed or what clients will be following him.
Loder's exit at Gersh follows the recent departure of talent agent Warren Zavala, who went to CAA.
Dytman joined Gersh as a partner and senior vp in 2006, when the agency acquired his boutique literary agency Dytman & Associates.
Golenberg came to Gersh in 2002 as head of TV packaging after a stint at AMG.
Rob Golenberg and Jack Dytman are taking over as co-heards of the department that includes five other agents.
Loder joined Gersh in 2003 after 24 years at WMA.
His clients include such writer-producers as Ira Steven Behr (The 4400), Michael Pavone (Side Order of Life) and Lew Schneider (Everybody Loves Raymond).
It's unclear where Loder might be headed or what clients will be following him.
Loder's exit at Gersh follows the recent departure of talent agent Warren Zavala, who went to CAA.
Dytman joined Gersh as a partner and senior vp in 2006, when the agency acquired his boutique literary agency Dytman & Associates.
Golenberg came to Gersh in 2002 as head of TV packaging after a stint at AMG.
- 5/19/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Frasier" has become the preferred source of writing-producing talent for ABC's "Desperate Housewives".
"Frasier" alum Lori Kirkland Baker will come aboard the ABC TV Studio-produced soapy dramedy next season as a co-executive producer. She joins fellow "Frasier" alums Anne Flett-Giordano and Chuck Ranberg, who also will serve as co-exec producers on "Housewives" next season. Former "Frasier" executive producer/co-showrunner Joe Keenan served as an executive producer on the campy one-hour series this season.
Meanwhile, Michael Pavone has joined Lifetime's upcoming series "Side Order of Life" as an executive producer.
"Side Order", produced by the Jinks/Cohen Co. in association with Warner Horizon Television, is described as a quirky, thought-provoking, comedic drama centering on a young magazine photographer (Marisa Coughlan) who suddenly re-evaluates her life and impending nuptials after learning some life-altering news. Filmed in Los Angeles, the series also stars Jason Priestley, Christopher Gartin and Diana-Maria Riva. It's set to debut in July.
Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen of Jinks/Cohen also are executive producing. Margaret Nagle created the series and serves as co-executive producer.
"Frasier" alum Lori Kirkland Baker will come aboard the ABC TV Studio-produced soapy dramedy next season as a co-executive producer. She joins fellow "Frasier" alums Anne Flett-Giordano and Chuck Ranberg, who also will serve as co-exec producers on "Housewives" next season. Former "Frasier" executive producer/co-showrunner Joe Keenan served as an executive producer on the campy one-hour series this season.
Meanwhile, Michael Pavone has joined Lifetime's upcoming series "Side Order of Life" as an executive producer.
"Side Order", produced by the Jinks/Cohen Co. in association with Warner Horizon Television, is described as a quirky, thought-provoking, comedic drama centering on a young magazine photographer (Marisa Coughlan) who suddenly re-evaluates her life and impending nuptials after learning some life-altering news. Filmed in Los Angeles, the series also stars Jason Priestley, Christopher Gartin and Diana-Maria Riva. It's set to debut in July.
Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen of Jinks/Cohen also are executive producing. Margaret Nagle created the series and serves as co-executive producer.
- 4/20/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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